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Reynaldo Puente with the 1st Platoon and a Pershing Nuclear Missle [n.d.]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Cold War
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 1st Firing Platoon, Delta Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment
  • Location of Service: Fort Polk, Louisiana; Lawton, Oklahoma; Germany
  • Highest Rank: E-4
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/85195

View full service history

“I just wish that there would be some kind of medication where we could take and clear the mind, forget about it.” (audio interview, 1:10:12)

Reynaldo Puente may not have served in direct combat, but his duties as a nuclear missile crewman put him on the front lines of the Cold War. With the knowledge that a nuclear strike would cause unparalleled death and destruction around the world, the mental stress of serving on combat alert status left a lifelong impact. After years of suffering anxiety and sleepless nights, he was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of his experiences. Nevertheless, Puente says if he could do it all again, he would answer the call to serve his country.

Reynaldo Puente Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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More Resources

View Enlarged Image
[ Photo Album ]
View 6 images in sequence.
[ Letter to Puente's sister, signed in his own blood. ]
View 3 images in sequence.
[ Two telecons dated 10/25/1973 and 10/26/1973 from Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to George Rowland Stanley Baring, 3rd Earl of Cromer ]

About this Item

Title

  • Reynaldo Puente Collection

Names

  • Garcia, Noemi
  • Shorak, B.J.
  • Phyllis A. Morris
  • National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
  • Puente, Reynaldo

State of Birth

  • TX

Home State

  • TX

Headings

  • -  Puente, Reynaldo
  • -  Cold War -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Hispanic

Status

  • Veteran

Service History

  • Cold War

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 1st Firing Platoon, Delta Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment
    • Location of Service: Fort Polk, Louisiana; Lawton, Oklahoma; Germany
    • Highest Rank: E-4
    • Dates of Service: 1973-1975
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: Veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a Pershing Missile Crewman (Azimuth Laying Specialist).

Materials

  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 09/24/2011)
  • Manuscript: Civilian papers (certificates, forms, wills, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 04/11/2008)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 05/27/2004)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 10/25/1973)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1973 - 1975)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 06/01/2007)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 10/25/1973)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 10/19/2011)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected 10/24/1974)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/85195

Cite as

  • Reynaldo Puente Collection (AFC/2001/001/85195), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Garcia, Noemi, B.J Shorak, Phyllis A. Morris, National Court Reporters Association, and Reynaldo Puente. Reynaldo Puente Collection. 1973. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.85195/.

APA citation style:

Garcia, N., Shorak, B. J., Phyllis A. Morris, National Court Reporters Association & Puente, R. (1973) Reynaldo Puente Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.85195/.

MLA citation style:

Garcia, Noemi, et al. Reynaldo Puente Collection. 1973. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.85195/>.